Compression ignition engine

ABSTRACT

An improvement in a compression-ignition engine comprising a multi-ringed piston in each engine cylinder, a novel full nozzle assembly mounted on the cylinder head of each cylinder and communicating with the combustion chamber of said cylinder and a cam operated fuel pump assembly operatively connected to the crank shaft and the fuel nozzle assembly so as to inject a coarse spray of fuel through the combustion chamber.

United States Patent 1191 1111 3,907,209 Fiedler 1 Sept. 23, 1975 [54] COMPRESSION IGNITION ENGINE 2,962,227 11/1960 Whitehurst 239 533 3,072,151 l/l963 Ouercia I 239/533 [76] Inventor: Max 9 585 Pugh 3,598,314 8/1971 Bailey 239/533 Wayne, Pa. 19087 22 F d A 30 19 3 FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 1 459,676 5/1928 Germany 123/139 AT [21] Appl. No.: 355,495

Primary Exarrtiner-Wende1l E. Burns 52] US. Cl 239/533; 239/533 Assisan Reymlds [51] Int. Cl. 805B l/30 [58] Field of Search 123/139 AT, 139 AK; [57] ABSTRACT 239/533 An improvement in a compressionignition engine comprising a multi-ringed piston in each engine cylin- [56] References C'ted der, a novel full nozzle assembly mounted on the cyl- UNITED STATES PATENTS inder head of each cylinder and communicating with 1,693,931 12/1928 Lowe 239/533 the combustion ham er of said cylinder and a cam 1,824,467 9/1931 Darby et a1. 123/139 AC operated fuel pump assembly operatively connected to 2,007,197 7/1935 H edblom 123/139 AC the crank shaft and the fuel nozzle assembly so as to 212441874 6/19l Fledler l23/139 AT inject a coarse spray of fuel through the combustion 2,537,087 l/195l Pyk et al. 123/139 AT chamber 2,607,366 8/1952 French 239/533 2,614,888 10/1952 Nichols 123/139 AT 1 Claim, 7 Drawing Figures US Patent Sept. 23,1975 Sheet 1 of4 3,907,209

FIG]

US Patent Sept. 23,1975 Sheet 2 of4 3,907,209

US Patent Sept. 23,1975 Sheet 3 of4 3,907,209

FIGZ

US Patent Sept. 23,1975 Sheet4 of4 3,907,209

COMPRESSION IGNITION ENGINE This invention relates to internal combustion engines and more particularly to compression ignition engines of the air-fuel burning type as described in applicants U.S. Pat. No. 2,250,264, dated July 22, 1941, and U.S. Re. Pat. No. 26,222, dated June 20, 1969.

U.S. Pat. No. 2,250,364 discloses a compression ignition engine wherein the fuel mixture is oxidized by injecting the fuel mixture into the combustion engine in the form of a coarse spray rather than a mist or vapor so as to allow the fuel to disperse with the air in the combustion chamber.

U.S. Re. Pat. N. 26,222 discloses a compression ignition engine which is of greater efficiency and has a reduction in the amount of unbumt hydrocarbons and other air pollutants coming from the exhaust. The engine is constructed so that a fuel pump mechanism is operatively connected to the engine crank shaft and to a nozzle assembly in such a manner that the fuel is rapidly injected into the combustion chamber and the engine cylinder in a coarse form wherein no combustion can be initiated during the admission period.

There is also disclosed in said reissue patent a fuel nozzle means for discharging a coarse spray of fuel into the combustion chamber and the cylinder. The nozzle contains a spring biased valve member which closes against a flat seat so that fuel pressure forces the valve member away from the seat to allow fuel to pass into the combustion chamber and the engine cylinder.

The engine of the present invention is constructed and arranged similarly as disclosed in said reissue patent and is characterized by having a novel fuel nozzle means which can be provided with a great amount of apertures and of better and more efficient performance.

It is the general object of the present invention to provide a more efficient substantially non-polluting engine of the compression ignition type.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a more efficient fuel pump mechanism for use with a compression ignition engine, and especially for use with the engine of the type disclosed in U.S. Re. Pat. N. 26,222.

It is a still further object of this invention to provide an efficient fuel pump mechanism having greater multicylinder capabilities for use with an engine of the type described in said reissue patent.

It is a yet still further object of this invention to provide a more efficient fuel nozzle means for use with an engine of the type disclosed in said reissue patent which is capable of having more than one aperture and overcomes the problem of sticking due to an accummulation of impurities.

The aforesaid objects of the present invention and other objects which will become apparent as the description proceeds are achieved by providing an improved compression ignition engine wherein air is injected into the cylinders of the engine when the piston is at approximately bottom dead center and a coarse spray of fuel is injected into the combustion chambers by means of fuel nozzle means comprising a first sleeve positioned within the cylinder heads, said first sleeve being closed at one end and having a plurality of orifices, a shoulder formed on said one end of said first sleeve, a resilient member seated on said shoulder, a second sleeve, one end of said second sleeve positioned within said first sleeve, said one end of said second sleeve forming a valve seat, a valve member slidably mounted within said first sleeve, one end of the valve member being positioned between the resilient member and the valve seat, whereby the valve member is biased to a closed position against the valve seat, said second sleeve having a passage for supplying fuel to the valve member, and said valve member having a passage and a plurality of orifices formed therein, so that when the valve member is forced to the open position, the resilient member is compressed and fuel flows through the orifices of the valve member and out through the orifices of the first sleeve into the combustion chamber of the cylinder.

Additionally, there is provided an improved fuel pump assembly comprising a housing having a fuel inlet port formed in the housing wall and a bore formed in the housing and communicating with the inlet port, one end of a fuel vline being connected to one end of the bore, the opposite end of said fuel line being adapted to be connected to the fuel nozzle means, said fuel line forming a reservoir between the pump assembly and the fuel nozzle means, a plunger slidably mounted within the bore, spring means mounted with the bore biasing one end of the plunger outwardly from the opposite end of the bore, and cam means associated with the crank shaft'and engaging one end of the plunger whereby rotation of the crank shaft causes the cam means to impart an impact blow on the plunger so as to result in a pressure wave through the fuel column in the fuel line thereby supply a quantity of fuel to the fuel nozzle means.

For a better understanding of the present invention, reference should be made to the accompanying drawings wherein like numerals of reference indicate indicate similar parts therethrough the several views and wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view, partially in section, of the internal combustion engine of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a sectional detailed view, showing the engine fuel pump and injection nozzle means;

FIG. 2A is a sectional view showing the fuel nozzle assembly of FIG. 2.

FIG. 2B is a detailed view, partially in section, show ing the fuel nozzle assembly;

FIG. 3 is a detailed view of the cam means of the fuel pump shown inFIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a detailed view of one control means of the cam means shown in FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 shows the arrangement for the cam means of a six cylinder engine.

Referring to the drawings, and more particularly to FIG. 1, the horizontally-opposed compression ignition engine of the present invention comprises a housing 10 having a drive shaft 12 rotatably mounted therein by a plurality of anti-friction means such as ball bearings 13. The drive shaft includes a fuel pump drive section 14, a crank shaft section 15 and a generator drive section 16. A flywheel 17 is secured to the drive shaft and is provided with a ring gear 18 which is adapted to be engaged by the pinion of a starting motor 19, and a generator 20 is connected to the end section of the drive shaft.

Horizontally opposed cylinders 21, 21a are formed in the housing, each cylinder having slidably mounted therein a piston 23, 23a, preferably a multi-ringed piston such as disclosed in applicants copending application Ser. No. 184,083 in order to provide a more efficient non-polluting engine.

One piston 25 is connected to the crank shaft by means of a connecting rod 24 and the other piston 23a is connected in the crank shaft by means of connection rod 25. Each cylinder is provided with a cylinder head 26 having a combustion chamber 27 therein, said chamber The improved injection nozzle assembly 28 of the present invention as shown in FIGS. 2A and 28 comprises a sleeve 73 rigidly mounted within a cylindrical sleeve 74 positioned within the cylinder head 26. The sleeve 73 is closed at one end and has a plurality of orifices 77 which are so constructed and arranged to cause the fuel to impinge on itself. A shoulder 75 is provided at said one end upon which a heat resistant elastomeric ring 76 is seated. A valve member 78 is slidably mounted within the sleeve 73 and is biased by ring 76 against one end 79 of another sleeve member 80 that is rigidly mounted within the sleeve 74.

The valve member 78 is provided with an axial passage 78a which communicates with the orifices 77 when the valve member 78 compresses the elastomeric ring 76. The sleeve member 80 provides a valve seat 79 for the valve member 78. The sleeve 80 is provided with a fitting 81 for connecting a passage80a with the fuel line 50 and the passage 78a of the valve member 78.

As seen in FIG. 3, the fuel pump assembly 33 comprises a housing 44 with a cam follower 57 positioned on a roller cam 63 with a roller pin 63A. The cam follower 57 is connected with a throttle member 60 by means of link shaft 67.

Throttle member 60 is positioned on a pin 61 which ishoused in a link cam 62 which can be rotated into a suitable position by a control means so that when the throttle member 60 is at its highest position the plunger 56 is at its highest point and no plunger stroke can occur.

By this construction, as the pump drive shaft rotates, the roller 63a of the roller cam 63 imparts an impact blow tothe cam follower 57 and the plunger 56 at high speeds without excessive stresses.

The structural relationship between the fuel pump assembly 33 and the fuel nozzle assembly 28 is such that the fuel is injected into the air of the combustion chamber and cylinder with sufficient rapidity and in such coarse form that no combustion can be initiated during the admission period which should not exceed 7 to 12 degrees crank angle. To accomplish this, the pump plunger 56 is provided with a constant effective stroke, and the fuel line 50 from the pump being in communication with a fuel nozzle assembly 28, to be described more fully hereinafter.

A cooling system 29 may be provided which includes a heat exchanger member 31 surrounding each fuel nozzle assembly 28.

With reference to FIG. 2, there is shown the fuel nozzle assembly 28, a pump assembly 33 which is operatively connected to the fuel pump drive section 14 of the engine drive shaft. The fuel pump assembly comprises a housing 44 formed with an inlet port 45 having a fitting 46 through which fuel oil is supplied from a suitable source (not shown). The inlet port 45 extends transversely to and is in communication with a bore 47 formed in the housing, saidbore being provided with a fitting 48 having a plurality of passages 49, the fitting being connected to a fuel line 50 for establishing communication between the fuel pump assembly 33 and the fuel nozzle assembly 28. A disk 51 having a port 52 is mounted within the bore between one end of the fitting 48 and at the other end of a sleeve 53 is also positioned within the bore. A ball check valve 54 is seated on the face of disk 51 closing the port 52 to prevent blow back of fuel. On one side of the disk 51 is a spring 55a for biasing a cylindrical plunger 56 outwardly from the sleeve 53 into contact with one end of a cam follower 57 mounted in the pump housing on a shaft 58. The plunger 56 is slidably mounted within the sleeve 53 and forms a pump chamber 56a therewith. On the other side of the disk 51 is a counterbalancing spring 55b.

By this construction, as the pump drive shaft 40 rotates, a roller cam 63 imparts an impact blow to the cam follower 57 and plunger 56 to thereby discharge a volume of fuel oil to the fuel nozzle assembly 27.

In order to vary the amount that the cam follower 57 can be brought into the path of the roller 63A and the amount of fuel pumped to the fuel nozzle assembly 28 any suitable control means may be used so as to move the pump plunger 56 inwardly or outwardly whereby the volume of the pump chamber is increased or decreased so as to result in an increase or decrease in the amount of fuel supplied to the fuel nozzle assembly.

The discharge orifices 77 are constructed and arranged to cause the fuel to impinge on itself. By providing the orifices at the point of discharge rather than on the valve member there is avoided blow-back and the presence of contamination which may cause the valve member 78 to stick. In addition a larger number of orifices may be made. By providing a valve which opens inwardly, that is, toward the combustion chamber 27 the lowest possible injection pressures are possible thus avoiding atomization or vaporization of the fuel.

The structural relationship between the fuel pump assembly 33 and the fuel nozzle assembly 28 is such that the fuel is injected into the air of the combustion chamber 27 and cylinder rapidly enough, yet in such a coarse form that no combustion can be initiated during the admission period which should not exceed 7 to 12 crank angle, preferably about 10 degrees. To accomplish this the plunger 56 is designed to have a constant effective stroke for a given setting of the cam member 57 and the fuel line 50 from the pump to the valve acts as a fuel reservoir, its residual pressure being determined by the biasing force of the elastomeric spring 76 of the injection valve 78. The cam 63 imparts an impact blow on the fuel column in fuel line 50 resulting in a pressure wave which forces the valve member 78 away from the seat 79 thereby compressing the elastomeric ring 76 to allow fuel to pass through the ports 79a into the axial passage 78a and out through the discharge orifices 77 and into the combustion chamber 27 Since the pump shaft 62 revolution to engine crank shaft revolution equals 1:1, the plunger 56 strokes every time the piston strokes.

FIG. 4 shows one means which may be used for controlling the position of the throttle 60 on pin 61 and the plunger stroke. There is shaft 87 mounted in a housing 83 which can communicate with the link cam 62 so as to rotate the cam 62 to a suitable position and therewith pin 61. There is provided a worm gear 82 at the end of the shaft 81 that can be rotated by a handle 84.

FIG. 5 shows the positioning of the throttle members 90a, 90b, 90c for a six cylinder engine in accordance with this invention. The throttle members 90a, 90b, 90c are positioned on a respective throttle pen 91a, 91b, 91c which is mounted on a link cam 92. There is a respective shaft 93a, 93b, 93c connecting respective cam followers which communicate with respective pairs of plungers and operate in accordance with the invention as shown for a two cylinder engine.

In accordance with US. Re. Pat. No. 26,222, the exhaust and an inlet port are arranged relative to the travel of piston 23 such that when the piston is at a crank angle of approximately 65 before bottom dead center, the upper edge of the piston is located at the leading edge of the exhaust ports. When the piston reaches a crank angle of approximately 45 before bottom dead center, the exhaust port is completely open. When the piston reaches dead center, the exhaust and air inlet ports are completely open. When the piston reaches a crank angel position of approximately 65 after bottom dead center, the exhaust and air inlet ports are closed and compression stroke of the engine begins.

In the operation of the engine, assuming that the air inlet and exhaust ports are closed by the piston, as the engine starts its compression stroke; namely when the pistons 23, 13a reach a crank angle of approximately 65 after bottom dead center, a coarse spray of fuel is injected through the combustion chamber 27 and into the cylinders for a duration of approximately travel of the crank to form fuel droplets suspended in air in the cylinders. The air containing the fuel droplets is rapidly compressed by the piston substantially isothermally, that is, approaching isothermal conditions depending upon the latent heat of evaporation of the fuel used and the size of the fuel droplets, until at the end of the compression stroke; namely, when the pistons are approximately 0.035 inches from their top dead center position or 98% of the effective stroke the total volume of the air with its suspended fuel droplets is rapidly compressed into the combustion chamber at a rate greater than the combustion reaction rate to raise the temperature of the air containing the fuel droplets to a temperature above that at which ignition and combustion can take place before ignition and combustion can take place. As the pistons move over top dead center, the volume of the air with its suspended fuel starts to increase and the pressure and temperature are lowered into the range wherein ignition and combustion occurs. As the pistons descend the exhaust ports and air inlet ports are opened, as described hereinabove, and the cycle is repeated. It will thus be seen that since the commencement of combustion depends solely on the lowering of pressure and temperature into a range where ignition and combustion can occur, that is, the lowering of pressure automatically reduces the temperature of the air containing the fuel droplets from a temperature above that at which ignition and combustion can occur to a temperature at which ignition and combustion can take place and the cycle is automatically self-adjusting insofar as the rotative speed of the engine is concerned.

There has been described and illustrated a device capable of performing all of the specifically mentioned objects of this invention as well as others which are apparent to those skilled in the art. Various uses of the present invention may be made employing the described structure. Accordingly, it is apparent that variations as to operations, size and shape, and rearrangement of elements may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. Accordingly, limitation is sought only in accordance with the scope of the following claims.

What is claimed is:

1. Fuel nozzle means for a compression-ignition engine, comprising a first sleeve closed at one end and having a plurality of orifices, a shoulder formed on said one end of said first sleeve, a resilient member seated on said shoulder, a second sleeve, one end of said second sleeve positioned within said first sleeve, said one end of said second sleeve forming a valve seat, a valve member having a passage therethrough slidably mounted within said first sleeve, one end of the valve tion chamber. 

1. Fuel nozzle means for a compression-ignition engine, comprising a first sleeve closed at one end and having a plurality of orifices, a shoulder formed on said one end of said first sleeve, a resilient member seated on said shoulder, a second sleeve, one end of said second sleeve positioned within said first sleeve, said one end of said second sleeve forming a valve seat, a valve member having a passage therethrough slidably mounted within said first sleeve, one end of the valve member being positioned between the resilient member and the valve seat, whereby said valve member is biased to a closed position against the valve seat, said second sleeve having a passage for supplying fuel to said valve member, and said valve member having a passage and a plurality of orifices formed therein so that when the valve member is forced to the open position, the resilient member is compressed and fuel flows through the passage of the valve member and out through the orifices of the first sleeve into the combustion chamber. 